One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole deals with a character with dissociative identity disorder. It’s very up my alley as I loved the show Sense8. I loved learning about each identity and how they tried to solve a whodunnit. However, the writing was just not there for me and was confusing at times. But I will continue to read Alyssa’s books! I always love the ideas behind them. Overall, 3/5 ⭐️. Thank you Alyssa Cole, Netgalley, and William Morrow, William Morrow Paperbacks for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received a free copy of, One of Us Knows, by Alyssa Cole, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Kenetria Nash is not like everybody else, she has dissociative identity disorder, or as most people know it as, multiple personality disorders, like Sybil. Kenetria gets a job as a caretaker of a historic home, but nothing is as it seems, then someone is murdered and Kenetria is prime suspect. Wow, what a ride. This was a good thriller, I enjoyed it, except for the swearing, which I did not care for.

There was so much potential for this book. And I understand the characters and how they relate, but there needs to be more of a backstory. There is a lot of jumping and the story line isn’t lining up with the description.

“Years after a breakdown and a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder derailed her historical preservationist career, Kenetria Nash and her alters have been given a second chance they can’t refuse: a position as resident caretaker of a historic home. Having been dormant for years, Ken has no idea what led them to this isolated Hudson River island, but she’s determined not to ruin their opportunity.”

Keeps you on edge of seat; mystery mixed with horror.

I will recommend this to fans of Alex Michaelides or multiple perspectives/POV thrillers, but it was not for me. I found the writing and sequencing to be overly disjointed and challenging to follow. However, as a librarian, I want to promote more black thriller authors, and I have seen how skilled Alyssa Cole is in her romance work. I think there will be fans of this work, but it will take a patient reader. There are tropes, such as the potentially haunted home/caretaker plot that could draw in readers of Riley Sager. I would be interested in hearing an audiobook version to see if that impacts the experience of the book.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Kenetria is surprised at her good luck. She is giving a second chance at her career. The town is she working in is not what it seems. A good read.

It was the book I never knew I needed so bad in my life until it popped up on my feed …

I am a sucker for anything Alyssa Cole, I mean let’s be real, I think we all are .

I read When No One Is Watching, and it still haunts me . That book threw my world off kilter and had me sleeping with the light on for months . I loved it ! That’s the exact books I love to read ! I want my world shaken up, I want to be scared! Make me check under the bed before hopping in!

So, when I saw this pic pop up on my feed I nearly I fell over . I neeeeeded this book and there was no way I could wait until April.

So I begged. I pleaded. I hit the request button and prayed.

Well Lordy, Lordy and Hallelujah!!!! My bookish prayers were answered.

Oh heyyy cutie, come to mama!!!!

This book sure does deliver! Every expectation I set was exceeded. Gosh dang it, I sure do love Alyssa Cole.

Before I slip up and spoil the big twist, check out this teaser:

From the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling author of When No One Is Watching comes a riveting thriller about the new caretaker of a historic estate who finds herself trapped on an island with a murderer—and the ghosts of her past.

Years after a breakdown and a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder derailed her historical preservationist career, Kenetria Nash and her alters have been given a second chance they can’t refuse: a position as resident caretaker of a historic home. Having been dormant for years, Ken has no idea what led them to this isolated Hudson River island, but she’s determined not to ruin their opportunity.

Then a surprise visit from the home’s conservation trust just as a Nor’easter bears down on the island disrupts her newfound life, leaving Ken trapped with a group of possibly dangerous strangers—including the man who brought her life tumbling down years earlier. When he turns up dead, Ken is the prime suspect.

Caught in a web of secrets and in a race against time, Ken and her alters must band together to prove their innocence and discover the truth of Kavanaugh Island—and their own past—or they risk losing not only their future, but their life.

One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole was a true page turner that kept me up til midnigt several days in a row. This book follows Ken who has DID and has been dormant for the 6 years. When she finally emerges she discovers that she is homeless, starting a brand new job as a caretaker, and its post pandemic era. She is ferryed an island off of the Hudson River and will be living there full time. None of the other headmates knows anything about it. Della was the last one who fronted for Ken and now she is no where to be found. Soloman is that one that keeps everything in control but the outside world is now affecting the inside "castle" that the other headmates live in. Ken is trying her best to figure everything out but she just wants to go dormant again. I really enjoyed the plot of this book and feel that I haven't read anything like this before. Alyssa Cole is an author that will be on everyone's list to read. I did read When No One Is Watching back in 2020 and really liked that one also. Her books get you hooked from the very first page. Can't wait to read more from her.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy. My feelings on this one are somewhat complicated. So much potential and some intriguing ideas and characters, but it didn't always feel like those translated to print so well. In places it seems very confusing. There is another book by this author that I have been wanting to read, and I plan to still read it...but this one just wasn't my thing.

I was first drawn to this book as the main character has a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder. I had to take a picture in the beginning of the book to keep all the alters straight but thought this part fascinating as how the author captured it and each one was so vastly different. This made the book very unique and complex.

Kenetria Nash and her alters have been given a position as resident caretaker of a historic home. Having been dormant for years, Ken has no idea what led them to this isolated Hudson River island. She knows one of the alters must have taken over and made this decision.

The island gave off creepy vibes and you had to keep on your toes to keep track of all the moving parts but can honestly say I have never read a book like this before.

Thoroughly enjoyed it! The intertwining of the past story with the present & the headmates was great. Easy to follow which mate was in the present, I did not get lost. The suspense was great. Highly recommend.

The Most Anticipated Mystery and Thriller Books of 2024

One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole
Release Date: April 16 from William Morrow

Kenetria Nash comes back to herself to discover that she has taken on an unexpected job as the caretaker for a historic home. Having been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder, Ken is one of many alternate personalities, and one of her other alters has been controlling her movements for the past while. S

o while learning the ropes on this Hudson River island, Ken is also trying to piece together what happened since her breakdown—and why the man responsible for it is on this Hudson River island with her. When a Nor’easter traps the residents there with no way out, and this man winds up dead, Ken is the primary suspect. The only ones who can help Ken find the real murderer are, of course, her alters.

Thank you NetGalley, William Morrow, and Alyssa Cole for the advanced copy.

I am unfortunately deciding to DNF this one at 33%. I’m not connecting with the characters or the story and I’m afraid this one just isn’t for me.

As is the case with all the books I DNF, I will not be rating or reviewing on any consumer sites aside from NetGalley.

I will still not hesitate to read this author again in the future!

The concept hooked me; a person who has multiple personalities "waking" up after six years of dormancy to a world changed by the pandemic, headed to a remote and sinister destination for a new job. I wanted there to be more conflict between the main character's personalities, however that may just be because of preconceived notions about DID. This kind of story requires a lot of character development, setup, and missing information, and while questions are eventually answered, it requires readers to be patient for the reveal. Overall, this was an enjoyable read (and I loved When No One is Watching) so I will be paying attention to all of this author's future work.

I loved Alyssa Cole's first thriller and my hopes were so high for this one. But alas, I am sad to report that this one just didn't do it for me. The writing was a little too colloquial for me and made me cringe in several places. The first 20% set up the book really well and explained the idea of a system very clearly but the writing and narrative voices were not enjoyable to read so I DNF'd this at 23%.

I think if this gets a full cast narration it will really improve the reading experience and I would absolutely give it a try.

One of Us Knows is such an interesting perspective and had me researching DID on the side! All of the personalities/characters were lovable in their own way (and equally frustrating as well). I thought the plot was very cool... I just would've liked to see it move a bit faster.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. It is told from the perspective of a Black woman, who has DID and is bisexual. It is both a mystery and exploration of her trauma and her system. I didn't find it very believable though and I wonder what the author's experience with DID is . I have known several people who dealt with this and this wasn't like what they experienced but a more romantized version of it. So......... it was interesting but I didn't really enjoy it

I don't think I've ever read a book like this before. It's definitely one of the most unique books I've ever read but I honestly found myself getting a little confused while reading. I needed more from each "character" that simply wasn't there.

The premise for this novel had a lot of potential, however, I don’t think it reached it. I feel the story was too unorganized and I was disappointed.

The law of Goodreads is that any genre book that challenges its readers will end up with a sub-4 rating, so I don't doubt this one will be ranked well below what it deserves. I'd call this a 4.5, but am definitely rounding up to balance the Goodread Idiot Effect.

(The fact that the protagonist, like the writer, is Black and female surely won't influence any if those negative reviews, of course, I'm sure.)

Anyway, Cole does NOT deliver a straightforward thriller or mystery, but she instead gives us a damned fine -- and, best I can tell, well-researched -- story with a protagonist with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Ken, one of Kenetria Nash's personalities who had been dormant for years, wakes up in control to find the body is about to start a new mysterious caretaker job. As she attempts to learn what's been happening for years (including learning about COVID), she realized that there's something mysterious happening with both the job and with her other personalities, and has two mysteries to solve.

I want to avoid going too heavily into the plot, because the twists and surprises are too much fun, but you don't have to be a very talented reader to figure out that stuff from Kenetria's past will come up. The key things here are that all of Kenetria's personalities have distinct and believable personalities, and their interactions with each other and with the outside world drive the storytelling here as much as the actual plot. This is a quick and intense read (while Cole doesn't delve on cruelty, it's a given that people with DID tend to have a major trauma in their background). While some twists are expected, there are some nice curveballs (ones that all stand up to scrutiny) as well.

Overall, this is a blast. I'd categorize it as closer to a contemporary gothic (it's literally set in a castle) than a traditional thriller, but it's more between the lines of the two genres. This is Cole's second consecutive book to blur genre lines, and I'm definitely up for seeing what her next book is.